Fabric or paper reenforcing machine



Dec, 23, l 924.

C. H. HOWARD ET AL FABRIC OR PAPER REENPORCING MACHINE Filed Anz. 16 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w www InVenor P. 9 M' .Away-W QW 1 IHA F\\\\\ w m V NM, 1 Nb i Wm .m.m\

@au Z39 C; M. HQWAR@ @T AL FABRIC OR PAPER REENFOHQING MACHINE Filed Aug. l@ 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. H. HOWARD ET AL FABRIC 0R PAPER REENFORCING MACHINE Filed Auz. 16 1922 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. HOWARD, `OF SAUGUS, AND LEWIS SHARP, OF NORTH ATTLEBOBO, MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO PAPER PRODUCTS MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION vOIF MASSACHUSETTS.

FABRIC OR PAPER REENFORCING MACHINE.

Application led Aug-ust16, 1922. Serial No. 582,166.

To all whom it may concer/n3.'

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. HOWARD and LEWIS SHARP, a citizen of the United States and a subject of King George V of fGrreat Britain, respectively, residing at Saugus, county of Essex, and North Attleboro, county of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, respectively, have invented an Improvement in Fabric or Paper Reenforciug Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specificatiomlike characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to machines for reenforcing v4fabrics with filaments, and more particularly to means for drawing rovings' from a source of supply and forming the filaments in a sheet Vforapplication to the fabric tob e reinforced.

20 It has been proposed heretofore to reinforce fabric such as paper by securing a sheet of unspun fibres adhesively to the fabric, and the unspun fibres used for this purpose are usually of long staple, such for example as sisal, flair, ramie'and hemp.

The unspun fibres are usually prepared in roving or sliver form. .That is, the fibres are reclaimed from the woody material or other undesirable foreign substance, which naturally adheres to them', and are then formedv into long, untwisted ropings', rovings, or slivers, the latter terms being variously applied, according to either the character of the fibres or the colloquial use. The term roving will hereinafter be used to designate these untwisted ropingsof fibre, and while the term will have more particularly in View such ropings of fibres of long staple, it is to be understood that the mecha-y 40 nism of the present invention may be used in connection with rovings formed -of either long or shortfibres or of ya mixture of long and short fibres.

One of t-he problems presented'in applying the fibres of rovings to the fabric to be` reinforced, is the difficulty experienced in laying the fibres in an economically thin sheet, and in parallel relation on the fabric to be reinforced. It has *been found, how- 5) ever, that by feeding rovings or moving them from a source of supply and then arranging them in sheet-form, the fibres may be adhesively securedsto the surface of the fabric in substantially parallel relation to reinforce the fabric.` Toy insure that the.

in vsubstantially parallel rows forming a sheet of rovings that is moved toward .the fabric or paper to be reinforced. The supply of rovings may be drawn from coils or containers of the type in which rovings are commonly coiled, but these coils or containers occupy considerable space as compared with the size of the roving drawn therefrom, and since a large numbery of rovings may be required to form asheet of fibres of the desired Width, the arrangement of the coils or containers, and the means by which the individual rovings are led from the coils or containers to their place in the sheet of rovings, are important.

Furthermore, since the rovings are formed of unspun fibres they may pull apart as they are drawn forward unless provisions are made for maintaining the fibres forming the individual rovings in intimate frictional engagement with each other, so that the fibres of a roving will not slip readily lengthwise of keach other.

An important feature of the present invention, therefore, consists of means for maintaining the untwisted'fibres of a rovin in intimate frictional engagement with eac other. so that a substantial pull may be exerted upon the roving to advance it without pulling the roving apart.

A more specific feature of the invention consists of spools, Vrolls or other roving engaging means arranged in spaced relation alternately above and below the rovings for forcing the individual fibresl of the rovings in intimate frictional engagement with each other so that the draft or pull upon therovings will not pull the fibres apart.

Another important feature of the invention, consists of means for directing rovings from their sources of supply, that may be y yee other important feature got' the invention,fV

distributed over a .relatively large arca, along approaching paths into substantiallyl parallel rows forming a sheet 'of rovings. k

Since the coils or containers occupy; considerable space, .dillicultyt' may ,bel lexperienced in inding room -for them? infthe 'vicinityof the reenforcing machine. An-v therefore, consists of meansy whereby the rovlngs may be formedfinto fasheet Vata point remote frointhe paper reen'torcnig i machine or 'uponfanother' floorof almi'ld-Y` ing, and vmay be .drawn ,therefrom j to the reenforcing; :machine without breaking or drawing out-'the Innings.: v

The aboveandfother'vfeaturesof the inf vention and 'novel combination 'of parts will `be:herein'describedin connection withl the'accompanying drawings which show one good,fpracticalform ofthe inventions.

:Inzthe drawings Y Fig. 1 is` a side elevation withlxparts shown in section of" a paper reenforcingl machine4 havingy A the .reenforcing filamentssupplied thereto in accordancewiththe recting the rovings. from the source of sup- .n

ply intoV position to vform a sheet; :Fig- 3 is an enlarged perspective viewvvot` one 'of the directing meansshown in 'Fig 2"; l

` u ,Fig.' 4 -is `an end iview,1ooking`to the left,V

' 4S The'sheet of filaments 15, which' isformed.;

of the structure shown in Fig. 3; an`d* f VfFig.l 5 is ann-enlargedpersp'ectiveviewl of.- theleft-hand half of the structure shownfinv inam'anner to be described, passesr between the iuted rolls12 and 13 and the-iutes .of

' the fous lgrip th-sheet and exert a pulling force .upon ythe same.` As'the sheet leaves e these rollsit maybe somewhatcreased from the elect of the Qinterengagingfiutesyandthe,l fcreases'y thus formed are `-removedby passing.I

the sheet upwardly over the-spreader bar 16y and then downwardly under theguide :bar 17. The-guidebar 17 ',servesto lhold the sheetl-l yin position to belengaged b the x teeth 18 ofthel'ipper. run of thezcom s 19.

VThese:combs/preferably travel in an'orbital path, Jandin they embodiment-'shown are s'ecuredfto endless chains 20w-.passing-:around sprocket wheels 21, "22; Movementis iml parted tothe comb by agea'r23 driven byy a.

.worm24t'mounted ona shaft'25 shown asex# tendingdownwardly from overhead driving "-.nansfi i; u ,Y

The construction of.fl[*`ig.f1-is more fullyl described land is claimedinthe co-'pendingapplication-of Charles H., -qHoward andi The combs 19 preferably are operated 'at a speed4 considerably in excessfo 'the speed at which the sheet l5 is fedv forward by the luted rollsand as a result,the .teeth of the ,comb are; drawn i through the fibres vof the' 'sheet tostraightenand attenuate the fibres. The means forfeeding the fabric or paper to whichl the reenforcing filaments "are applied m'a'y be supported upon'the'fra'me 10,y

and. inthe vconstruction shown, the sheet of filaments 15 is introduced between two sheets I of paper 26 and 27. VThe upper'sheet 26 may jbe drawn'from a roll 2,8 rotatably supported by uprights 29, andthe lower 'sheet maybe drawn from 'a roll 30. The upper sheet 26 To Y passes-about a yguide ro1l1'31 and thenbe-A e tween. therfeedrolls .32 andf33, vandthe lower sheet 27 passesfover the guide rolls 34 and n .35, betweena pairof rolls 36 and-37,onefof which'rota'tes in a receptacle-38 containing adhesive, and then; aboutv the. feed roll 33' and between the' feed rolls'32 'andi33b i "The sheet of filaments 15 is ledj fromthe combs19to thenipfof the feed -rolls"32, 33y where it is introduced between thei sheetsof paper 26 and 27, andthetwo sheets of paper with *the ,filaments therebetween are adhe# f sively securedy together by.. the 'adhesive applied'tothe'innerface of the sheetj27. To

insure that the sheetstbe'rmlyf-pressedito# gethertheymay be led upwardly/about the feediroll 32 andbetween.thesupperffacefot fV thislrolfl'and-tl'ie roller-39,-it'thenpasses'part'f v wayaround the roll39 andnis ledtherefrom j as a two-ply reinforced sheetAO.'

l Y ico lThe'i'feedrolls132'and '333 preferably-are, `r I operated at 4 a speed considerably in, e'xcess''ot thespneed. with which ,the Sheet of emmene y orfbres are yadvanced by the'comb's19,with Y i the result ,that -thepfila'ments are lfurtherv drawn out or attenuated .asl they are gripped andA drawn `forward bythe .paper passingybe, Atween therol-ls32, 33. -Adepressor 41 inthe i form of a reel may vbe.positioned*jabo'v'e" the v combs 19 atfone'endo'f tlienuppery run V,to vmaintain Vthe vsheet 15 1 in engagement .withA limi the combsthroughout the lengthfof-thejnpf i* LewisSharySerial Nor-391,433,1led June. ,i

24, 1920;'V and ysince the'pre'sent rinvention krelates more particularly'tothe fconstrl'ic#l y scriptionof'Fig. 1 Ais belieyedtobe unnecestion of Figs.; 2 to 5 inclusiveya further (lesaryherein. e

As stated,- the;reenforcinggfilaments or f fibrespreferably are, supplied ink the form j of f`rovings`and `desirable means for. drawing these t-rovings yfromawsouroe of supply v.and arrangingitheml side-.byside toform a'v sheet twill" now berfdescribe'd. A separate container iis; preferably provided for each .f supply ofv roving, vand since these containers "lao,

are bulky, and a relatively large number of rovings may be required to form a sheet of the desired width, the roving containers will occupy considerable space. The present 1nlvention therefore contemplates a plurality of rovingm'arriers or guideways constructed and arranged to guide the rovingfrom the source of supply along approaching or con verging paths into substantially -parallel rows forming the sheetel.

The roving-carriers or guideways may be 'variously constructed and. arranged, and in the embodiment shown slx roving-carriers 42, 43, 44, 45', 46 and 47 are shown and each serves to guide a. grou of rovings toward the sheet formed y the several groups. The arrangement of the rovingcarriers relative -to each other, may depend largely upon the disposition of the s acey the roving-carriers 42 to 47 inclusive may,

rest upon the side bars 48 and`49 while the other ends of the' roving-carriers may be supported by depending rods 53 (see Fig. 3) adapted to support the carriers above the containers for the rovings. The several roving-carriers may be similar in construction and may consist of s aced side rails 54 and 55, the latter of which is arranged at/ anY inclination to the former as shown'. This is desirable because the number of rrovings conducted by a carrier preferablyincreases toward the delivery end of the carrier. In the construction shown two rovings 56 are led upwardly from the containers or other source of supply at the narrow end of the carrier, and additional rovings are led upwardly to the carrier at s aced intervals along the length of the carrier into engage'- ment with spools, rollers or guides -to be described.

As stated,.the rovings are formed of untwisted filaments or fibres -which will pull apart if the individual fibres are not maintained in intimate engagement with each other when the rovingsV are subjected to a longitudinal pull. It is therefore important to provide means for maintaining the fibres -V of the rovings in close rictional engagement with each other throughout the portions of the rovings that are subjected to a: substantial draft or pull. To thisend, in the embodiment of the invention shown, each of the roving-deniers is provided with a plurality of grooved spools 57 arranged in spaced relation along the carriers, and it will be noted that the first two spools 5l" have but two grooves apiece, while the nent two spools have three grooves apiece to accommodate a third rovine' thus the grooves' of the spools increase toward the delivery end of the carrier. Thesespools are supported to rotate freely, and as will be apparent from Fig. 3, the rovings are led over one spool and under the next spool throughout the length of the carrier. This serves to foroethe opposite sides of the rovings into firm engagement with the spools and the pressure of the rovings upon each spool forces the individual fibres of each roving into ,'.intimate rictional engagement with each other, and it should be noted ythat this frictional engagement between the fibres in creases as the draft or pull upon the rovings increases. As a result, the strength of the rovings increases with the increase in the draft uponthesame, due to the increase in the frictionalengagement between the iibrcs.

The spools serve also to guide the rovings along their path of travel. The distance. between any two spools 57 should not exceed the average length of the fibres of the rovings 'and preferably. is considerably less than thel average length of the fibres, uh the result that the feeding pull upon the rovings will'be imparted from one spool to` the 'other by the individual fibres extending between two spools without pulling the rovings in two. Since, as above stated, the increase yin the tension of the rovings passing alternately above and' below the spools serves to increase the strength of the untwisted rovings by forcing the fibres into intimate rictional engagement with each other, it is not essential that the spools rotate, for if they do not rotate the' roving will slide over the same in a satisfactory manner.4

A board 58 may be supported below the roving-carriers by posts 59 so that the edges of this board will guide the rovings upward into the proper grooves of the spools, and additional boards 60 and 61 (see Fig. 4i

may be provided to further guide the rov- 'i thegroup' of rovings delivered by one carvrier will be delivered alongside the group delivered by the Inext carrier. 'As will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 5, it is unnecessary to provide a roving-carrier for the central group of rovings since these may be led up different carriers preferablyare passe over.

wardly froml the containers over. the rollers 52, and .a guide board 62 provided with apertures 64 serves to guidevthe rovings'to the rollers. Theguide board 63 may be supported bythe crossA braces 65 of the frame. y c vThe groupsoffrovings delivered b the one roller 52 and -under-.th'enexh as shown,

to maintain the rovings in. their proper posi-I tionfside by side and to produce thedesired ifrictional engagement' lbetween the fibres forming thefrespectiveA rovings, and after lthe several groups of rovings havev beenY positionedsideby side to Aform, the sheet 15,

this sheet is led to the liuted rolls`12 andy13. VThe roving-supporting frame and associatedA carriers shown inv Fig. 2 may be ylocated. adjacent the receivingendof the l the sheet-15 isled vdowny'vardly through an machine shown in Fig. 1, or if desired, the mechanismiof F ig.' 2 may be located upon 4thefioor 50 above thev machine of-Fig.- 2.v

The latter arrangement is shown in the drawings, rvandpin many .cases is to bedesired, because of the vsaving in floorspace.

upon `lthe lower-,ilona yIn the present case opening 66v in the ,-ioor 50 and vis guided from the frame shown in Fig. 2 to the machine .of Fig. 1 by 'a plurality vof rollers 67,lv

supported byuprights 68. `rThe arrangement of the `rollers .52 and 67 likey that of [the spools 57, is preferably such that the distancey between ladjacent rollers does not.;

exceed the average length` of .the libres of the rovings, fand the sheet 15 passes vabout one side of oney roller and yabout the op# posite. side ofthe next roller. vThe arrange-i ment issuch that the fluted feed rollers 12 and 13 servetov draw the roving forward from the containers 62 upon the floor above,

andthe rollers and spools serve to produce sufficient. frictional engagement between the individual fibres ofthe rovingsto preventl the rovin s. from bein pulled'apart by the feeding raft ork pull to lwhich they are subjected. The means for producing sufiicient frictional engagement etween the. in-

dividual libres of theuntwisted `rovings to revent `the rovings from being pulled apart' 1."A .device for drawing vrovings of .un-vv spun fibres yfrom al source ofsufpply, comprisin in combination, means or pulling fibres 1n the formof rovings from a source ofi supply, 'spools between the source. of supply and pulling means and arranged to have-the rovings drawn alternately over one spool and under the next in a zigzag manner so" that the pull upon the .Y rovings forces the rovings against the spools and increases "the frictional enga ement between the in-V dividual fibres of t e rovings.

prisin Qin combination, v'means `for pulling 70 ylibres 1n the form Vof rovingsfrom"a'ksource vof' `supply, transversely extending V.gl'iides disposed along the; path offtravell of the rovings` and a-rrangedptovzhave the. rovings, drawn alternately- `over. an'd-l linden.,the--V guides in a zigzag manner i so` that the pull upon` the rovings draws.. them againstk the guides ,to increase the:jffr'ictionalengage-V ment between the] individual1fibres of the, rovings.

device forgjdrawinggrovings of un-l spunfibres froma sourcefof, supply, comprising in combination, yniealns for Y* pullingl rovings from'a remote j source`r of supply, andk means Vfor,v maintaining .the individualv libres. off the portions of the rovingsthat are;,under-tension .inf` intimate v,frictional i engagement with rv eachp-other, comprisin guides-disposed along the nath of trave of the rovings and arranged'. to .have-the 90 rovingsvidrawn, alternately over and, under "the fguides ina zigzagmanner so that thev tcnsionof the rovings forces them lagainst thegui es.V y A y, ,g Y

f 4, 'A` device for drawing'ro'vin'gsgof unf spun.r fibres from a source :of supply, comVA prising in combination, means 'for'pilling' rovings froma remote source of supply, and guides "disposedalong the path! o'f'trav#l el of the rovin s and arranged;toengagelm the vopposite vsi esof the-,rovings lat 1nter-.y .a

vals and to deflect the rovingsl from;y ay

straightlinefso thatthe tension of the rovings vforces the oppositesides of Ithe Irovf ingsagainst the guides to ,increaseqthe friction between the individualfibres. form-1A ing therovings, g v

l. i5. A jmachlne forfformin'g rovingsinto ay sheet of libres, comprising-2incombinav tion, means for `,pulling rovings'` from, ay110 source of supply,icarriers for directing the` rovings from their `source of supplyalong approaching paths intosubstantiallyZ paral-Y lelrows forming a` sheet, and guides uponI the'carriers disposed along the pathfof trav! 1.15 Y

el of the rovlngsf'and arranged to have the rovings drawnv alternately*l .over and.v ,v

underl theqjguides toyforcethe. rovin s against the guides and thereby increase tie friction betweeny the, individual (fibres forming therovings.. l

6. A machine-'for kforming,rovings into v a a sheet of fibres, comprisingin combination, means for. ypulling *rovingsl from. sourcel of supply,l and guides for. directing the rovings vfrom .their source ofsupply along convergin paths into parallel; relan tion forming as eetand arranged to have,

'the rovingsv drawn alternately over and .under V,the .guides to force ,the ",rovingslso against the guides and thereby increase the friction between the individual bres forming the rovings.

7. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of fibres, comprising in combination, means for pulling rovings from 'a source of supply, guides for directing the rovings from their source of supply along converging paths into. parallel relation forming a sheet and arranged to: have the rovings drawn alternately over and under the guides to force the rovings against the guides and thereby increase the friction between the individual fibres forming the rovings, and means for attenuating the fibres into a thin sheet.

8. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of filaments, comprising in combination means for pulling filaments in the form of rovings from a source of supply, rollers spaced apart a distance less than the maximum length of' the filaments of the rovings and disposed alternately above and below the rovings to force vidual filaments into frictional engagement with each other to thereby .increase the friction between the individual filaments of the rovings throughout the length of the rovings to the source of supply, and means for directing the rovingsl into contacting parallel relation forming a sheet.

9. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of fibres, comprising in combination, means for pulling fibres in the form of rovings from 'a source of supply, and rollers that are free to rotate to facilitate the advance of the rovin s along their path of travel and arrange to have the rovings drawn alternately over 'and under the rollers so that the pressure ofthe rovings against the rollers serves to hold the individual bres of the rovin in intimate frictional engagement with eac other.

10. A device for drawing rovings of unspun fibres from a source of supply, comprisin in combination, means for pulling fibres 1n the form of rovings from a source of supply, spaced rollers supported along the path of travel of the rovlngs and arranged to have the rovings drawn alternately over and under the rollers so that a pull u on the rovings forces them against the rol ers to increase the frictional engagement between the individual fibres of the rovings, and rounded grooves formed in the rollers to receive the rovings and constructed to prevent the fibres of the rovings from spreading out laterally.

11. A device for drawing rovings of unspun fibres from a source of su ply, comprising in combination,pmeans or pulling the indifibres in the form of rovings from a source of supply, spaced rollers disposed along the path of travel of the rovings and arranged to have the rovings drawn alternately over and under the rollers so that the tension of the rovings holds them against the rollers to increase the frictional engagement between the fibres of the rovings, and grooves formed in the rollers for spacin the rovings apart 'and guiding them a ong their path of travel.

12. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of fibres, comprising 1n combination, means for pulling fibresinr the form of rovings from a source of supply, guides for directing the rovings along converging paths into parallel relation to form a sheet and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the rovings at intervals along their path of travel and to deflect the rovings from a straight line so that the tension of the rovings forces the opposite sides ofthe rovings against the guides to increase the friction between the individual fibres forming the rovings.

13. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of fibres, comprising in combination, me'ans for pulling fibres in the form of rovings from a source of supply in one portion of a building downwardly through the fioor of the building to feeding means below, spaced guides positioned to guide the fabric downwardly through the fioor of the buildl ing to said feeding means and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the rovings at intervals to vdefiect the rovings from a straight line so th'at the tension of the rovings forces the opposite sides of the rovings against the guides to increase the friction between the individual fibres forming the rovings.

14. A machine for forming rovings into a sheet of fibres, comprising in combination, means for pulling fibres in the form of rovings from a source of supply in one portion of a buildin downwardl through the floor of the buil ing to feeding means below, spaced guides disposed along the path of travel of the rovings to guide them toward the feeding means and arranged to have the rovings drawn alternately about opposite sides ofthe guides inea zigzag manner so that the tension of the rovings forces them against the ides to increase the frictional engagement etween the individual fibres of the rovings.

names to this specification.'

CHARLES H. HOWARD. LEWIS SHARP. 

